Favor
by dave-d
Summary: Fluff-filled one shot exploration. Hinata would do anything to help Naruto. But, maybe she should have asked him what the favor was, before she accepted. A story in honor of Valentine's Day.


Petals floated away on the breeze, spiraling down towards the city below.

Sitting a short distance below the edge of the cliff, Hinata felt in good company, the great stone faces of the Hokages directed below her.

As she pulled at the petals on the flower, she tossed them into the air, wondering which way the swirling wind would take them. It was different each time. Her life was filled with the same kind of uncertainty

She sighed. Down in the streets of Konoha, lovers would be rushing about getting gifts for this special day. Some would be sharing quiet meals together. Others would be doing certain different things. Her face grew warm. She rubbed her fingers together, wishing she had someone to dress pretty for. No, not just anyone. Someone in particular.

A number of small rocks came sliding down the mountain face, forming an impromptu pile near her leg. When more followed, she turned to look up, using her hand as a shield against the sun. Someone was climbing down in her direction. Who?

"Hey. Hinata. You sure are hard to find!" It was Naruto.

Twitching, Hinata began sliding downward. That had her swallowing hard. Her heart was beating quicker and quicker, but she didn't know if it was because of the near catastrophe, or because Naruto had showed up when she was thinking about certain kinds of things. "_N-N_-Naruto-kun. What… what are you doing here?" It felt as if her heart had hopped up into her throat. "Why were you _ummm_… why were you looking for m-m-me?"

Naruto sat down next to Hinata, and then ran is hand through his hair, looking away from her. "It's… well… I need to ask you a big favor."

Hinata sighed. What had she been expecting? She was so very foolish sometimes. "What favor, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto picked up a few stones and tossed them at the giant carved face of Tsunade. He still wasn't used to _that_ yet. His delay in answering had Hinata feeling uneasy, since he was always so quick to speak his mind. "I… you see… I need some help practicing…." When he looked over at Hinata, his eyes couldn't meet hers at first. But, clenching his hands, he took a deep breath and tried to put on his usual happy-go-lucky smile.

Hinata bit her lip. Naruto almost always trained with Sakura and Kakashi. Why was he asking _her? _Could it have something to do with the day? Might he actually like her? "I would be glad to train with you, Naruto-kun. Perhaps there is something you can teach me. Maybe there are things that we can learn together."

Naruto nodded. "Yeh. There is something I want to become good at. But, I can't do it alone." He swallowed hard. "I need to practice it first, before I do it with someone." He was sweating for some reason.

Hinata timidly looked up at Naruto's face. What was he talking about precisely? Why did he seem nervous?

"I thought to ask you Hinata, because you would be sure to help me. I needed someone I could trust. I don't want word of this getting around before I'm ready. It won't do to be a proud failure. I have to get this right." He coughed. "It's my Ninja Way."

"I will help you, Naruto. I promise to do my best." Hinata smiled shyly. "That's my Ninja Way, too."

"Really?" Naruto looked nervous for a moment. He set his jaw and continued. "You promise, on your family honor? No matter what?"

"Sure." Hinata wondered just what had Narutoask that. Might he want her to do something that was wrong or might get her in trouble, like a Forbidden Technique, or something improper that he learned from the Sannin Jiraiya? No, not Naruto. He wouldn't do that to a friend."What jutsu will we be practicing?"

"Well, about that…" Naruto put one hand behind his neck, then looked up at a bird circling overhead. "It's not _really_ a jutsu… not really…." His blue eyes went very wide. "You see… uhhh…." He reached out, grabbed a large clod of dirt, broke it into smaller pieces, and then began throwing them as far as he could, not caring where they might fall.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata blinked rapidly.

"It's kissing, Hinata." Naruto actually blushed. Hinata was too stunned to take note of that seminal event.

"Ka-Ka-Ka-Kissing?" Hinata froze. She looked just as stiff as the Hokage's below her. But, within her, a warmth spread throughout her system. Her prayers had been answered. Naruto must really care about her.

"Yes… uhhh… you see…." Naruto had to clear his throat. "You see… there's this girl that I like. But, I haven't told her that yet, and…." He looked at Hinata, and then looked away. "After I tell her, she might want a kiss, you know…… so I want to be good at it…." He straightened his shoulders. "Can you help me practice, Hinata? So I don't disappoint her?"

For a brief instant, Hinata felt like throwing herself off of the cliff. That would be the only way she could catch her falling heart, before it was smashed into a lumpy mess on the rocks down below.A tear coming to her eye, she trembled for a moment, before going completely still. The shock overwhelmed her. Naruto's request was a double blow. He was interested in someone else.

_And, she had just allowed herself to get her hopes up._

She had dreamed about kissing Naruto; but, not like this. How could she _possibly_ keep her word? How could she help Naruto learn how to kiss, just so he could go and kiss someone else? She had promised. On her family honor. "It's my Ninja Way," she whispered to herself. "_Ummm_… OK, Naruto-kun…." This might be the hardest thing she ever had to do. But, her word was her bond.

"Uhhh… thanks, Hinata… you're the best!" After Naruto said that, he suddenly looked uncertain and uneasy. He had thought that asking would be the hard part. Now that Hinata had accepted, he wasn't so sure any more. Moving closer to her, he saw that she was shivering. "Are you cold, Hinata? You can have my coat." he took off the jacket he was wearing over his jumpsuit and placed it around Hinata's shoulders. Feeling the heat rush to his face, he saw that Hinata was blushing too.

"Th-Th-Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata closed her eyes. She turned her face towards his. Maybe if she was lucky, she could pretend that Naruto wanted to be kissing her. She waited for what seemed like an eternity, but no kiss came.

"Uhhh…… Hinata…. have you kissed anyone before." Naruto's voice cracked ever so slightly. "Even though I am really quite amazing in most ways," he added rather loudly. "I… you know… haven't ever…." His last words came out very quietly.

Hinata shook her head. She had never kissed anyone before. "N-Never… N-Naruto-kun…."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess that we'll just have to do out best, right. It can't be too hard. Even people who are not shinobi can do it." He coughed. "We should just try it. I… well… I _borrowed_ a copy of Ero-Sennin's book… so…." Screwing up his face, he took a deep breath, and then tried to calm down. "Here goes…."

Hinata closed her eyes again, then tilted her head up. She would do this for Naruto. She had promised. Their lips met, and the first kiss the very picture of clumsiness. For Naruto, he had crossed some line, so he immediately felt more confident. Hinata reached up her finger and touched her lips. She didn't know exactly how she should feel.

"Not bad, I guess" Naruto said, sounding like he was now an expert. "But… _uhhh_… We should relax. The book's tips on kissing said to be relaxed."

"_Ummm_… I see, Naruto-kun…." Hinata looked up at his face, and then closed her eyes again. Their second kiss was much smoother and longer than the first.

"Well, as usual, I am impressed by your spirit, Hinata. You are sure trying hard. But, you know, I have to get better than _that." _Naruto nodded his head. "The book also says to move gently to your partner and put your arms around them. Is that… is that OK with you?"

Hinata hung her head for a moment, then bit her lip. She found herself wanting to kiss Naruto more, even if he had his heart set on another girl. Was that wrong? Was she being unfair to herself, or the unknown love of Naruto's life? "I… OK, Naruto-kun." She began breathing more quickly when Naruto wrapped his arms around her.

Hinata didn't remember when the third kiss had started, or when it had ended. She had felt so safe in Naruto's arm for those moments, that nothing else around her registered on her conscious mind.

"Huh!" Naruto said. "Maybe that old pervert **_does_** know what he's talking about." He smiled. "Let's make sure. Is that alright with you, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded, her heat beating rapidly and her pulse loud in her ears. They kissed again. This time Hinata caused Naruto to jump, when her arms squeezed him so tightly. It was his turn to be silent for a few moments after that. When they resumed their 'training', the kissing went on for a while as Naruto spouted the things that he had read.

"Move your head a little to the side so your nose won't get in the way." That was followed by a short kiss.

"What one should do next when kissing someone depends on their reaction. If they respond, carry on kissing." That came before a series of kisses.

"That was pretty good, wasn't it? Well, one doesn't sense an active response, he or she should move their lips apart slowly, gently let go of their partner, and gaze into their eyes." The look in Hinata's eyes was unreadable. Naruto swallowed hard. He wasn't so clueless that he didn't know what she must be thinking and feeling.

"If you feel that the signals are right, then again gently start to kiss your partner, and if they respond, you can begin to kiss a little more passionately." Hinata did just that, surprising herself and Naruto. While he might not be there for her, she was there for herself. Her true feelings were pouring out of her wordlessly.

_Even if Naruto didn't want to realize that, she couldn't hold back._

No longer having even the slightest bit of doubt, Naruto rested his forehead against Hinata's and spoke in a soft voice. "The golden rule is to be gentle and try to read your partners feelings."

That had Hinata sitting up straighter, a look of pain coming to her eyes. She **_had _**to tell Naruto how she felt in words, even if he was going to reject her. Before she could speak, Naruto asked her a question.

"Was it hard, helping me with the…… _uhhh_…… kissing jutsu?" He felt like a heel, seeing the look that passed across her face. "You weren't just practicing right? Those kisses were real…."

Hinata nodded, tears coming to her eyes.

"Good!" Naruto smiled.

Hinata's eyes went wide. Her mouth fell open. Was Naruto making fun of her, or making light of her feelings? Or, could she have somehow changed his mind, making him want her instead?

Naruto reached inside of his pouch and took out a small flower. "Here, Hinata. I brought this for you. I hope you don't pull it apart and throw it like the others you picked."

Hinata looked at Naruto's face, the flower, and then his face again. "Naruto-kun?"

"I know that I put on a big front, Hinata. But, despite what you might think, I'm not brave when it comes to _everything_." Naruto scratched his head. "I don't… well… I didn't have the courage to just ask if you wanted to be kissed." He coughed, and then looked away. "You might have said no, if you thought it was for you. But I knew I could get you to promise to help me…."

Hinata froze again. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Naruto had wanted to kiss her. She truly was someone he could like. Her heart sprouting wings, she nevertheless found herself sighing.

"What's wrong, Hinata? Are you disappointed in me? I _know_ it was a trick, but I…" Naruto looked concerned. Above all else, he cared about people and their feelings.

"N-N-Naruto-kun…." Hinata looked up at him, and then told herself she had no reason to stutter around him any more. She would have to work on that. "It's just… I… well… it was our first kisses… and I thought you meant them for someone else."

"Oh. Yeh. I guess I can see how that might feel." Naruto rubbed his chin, looking unhappy.

The sudden courage that Hinata felt surprised and pleased her. It probably wouldn't last long, so she needed to act before her uncharacteristic boldness left her. "C-C-Could we start over from the beginning?"

Taking the book gently from Naruto, she tossed if off of the cliff.


End file.
